Have confidence in the security of your data, staff, and systems.

Absolutely not! We believe that every business should have a foundation in data security. In fact, the earlier the better!

In 2023, there was a 42% increase in breaches in businesses with 11-50 employees . Large enterprises usually have more advanced security systems set up, so cyber criminals test their ransomware on smaller targets. It's also a more lucrative market - there are millions of small businesses, and if they don't have their security sorted, they're more likely to pay ransoms, and even that doesn't guarantee you'll get your data back.

Today, it's a question of when will your business be the target of a cyber attack, not if. Investing in technology to combat this is a great way to identify yourself as dedicated to your customers and staff.

Yes! We've designed our security service to make sure you align with Cyber Essentials, a government scheme designed to help protect against a range of the most common cyber attacks.

Cyber attacks come in a range of shapes and sizes, but the majority are very basic and carried out by relatively unskilled individuals. The rise of AI has made it easier than ever for someone with no programming knowledge to create and deploy ransomware.

They're the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it's unlocked. Cyber Essentials is designed to prevent those attacks.

If you are looking to become Cyber Essentials Certified and get a badge just like ours at the bottom of the page, we're more than happy to help you on that journey, and you'll start it knowing you're already meeting those standards.

So many! Firstly, you'll give yourself peace of mind that your business isn't low-hanging fruit for a cyber criminal trying their luck - that's up to 80% of cyberattacks! While no security system is 100% foolproof, aligning with these standards can significantly reduce the risk of attacks.

It's also a great way to show your customers and prospects that you are working to secure your IT against cyber attacks. Some companies even require alignment or certification in these standards before considering working with someone. If you want to become Cyber Essentials certified, we can help with that too.

If you work or want to work with the government, some contracts specifically require Cyber Essentials certification. So even if right now you don't have those contracts, they'll be much easier to get if you need to certify, because you'll already know that the right controls are in place.

Certification is a great trust builder and a way to separate yourself from your competition. Being Cyber Essentials Certified shows your customers and prospects that you care about the data you hold, and that you are dedicated to making sure your business can weather a cyber incident.

The best way to think about it is "How much potential and actual revenue will I lose when a cyber incident destroys all of my data?" This includes the cost of paying people unable to work, the cost of tools to try and recover any encrypted or deleted data, the cost of an IT company's time to attempt to recover that data, the amount of time your salespeople can't sell, and much more.

Tools to help businesses align to cyber security standards are significantly lower than several years ago. We encourage people to include the cost of these tools as a fundamental part of their budget, just as you would accept the cost of a Microsoft 365 licence as part of the cost of hiring someone new.

60% of small businesses shut down within six months of a major cyber incident  because it affects not only your confidential data but also your reputation with customers and suppliers.

Investing in IT and cyber security is much more than a choice; it's a strategic decision to protect your staff, data, and ultimately your reputation.

The short answer is probably, a little bit. It could be that you already have great operating practices and the tools we put in place are there to bolster existing good practices. Usually, though, we see that some things have to change - there'll be no more installing any app you like on your work laptop for starters!

While there may be some changes to the way your business operates with how it uses and stores data, the best practices are usually based on how much access people have to data. The best cyber security practices are zero trust and working with the least privileged access possible.

Does Paul in HR really need admin-level access to all of your SharePoint sites, and does Sarah in sales need access to your confidential employee information? Probably not.

By restricting access to where it's needed and having processes in place to request access, it means that if Paul or Sarah happens to get breached, there's only a certain level of data that can be affected, because they don't have access to anything else.

Working remotely is the biggest reason you should look at enhancing your cyber security. People are connecting to networks here, there, and everywhere - the local Starbucks, their friend Abigail's house, that one weird wifi network you're not sure who it belongs to. All of these pose a risk to your data because you can't guarantee that those networks are safe.

We make sure that your devices are locked down and controllable in a way that means if something dodgy looks like it's going on, a device or user can be stopped from accessing data quickly to avoid an incident.

These tools also give you greater control if members of staff leave. You'll be able to shut down access to a device or remotely wipe it so you can be sure the data isn't being accessed elsewhere. This even applies to apps on personal devices. While you can't control that device, by making sure you use apps like Outlook for email, you can cut access to your data so a user can't access emails, unlike using the default Mail app, where emails are sometimes stored locally.